The present invention relates to a continuous wrapping machine.
In particular, the present invention relates to a continuous machine which may be used to advantage in the food industry for wrapping preferably cylindrical-shaped products, such as biscuits or sweets or groups of the same arranged side by side.
Products of the aforementioned type are known to be wrapped on continuous machines usually comprising a number of tangent conveyor rollers for continuously and successively feeding the unwrapped products along a substantially sinusoidal route, along which the products are subjected to a number of wrapping operations. Said wrapping operations usually comprise the formation, about each product, of a tubular wrapping, usually longer than the product, the opposite ends of which project beyond the ends of the product, and are folded or otherwise closed over the same to form a closed wrapping.
One of the major drawbacks of known continuous machines of the aforementioned type is that, by virtue of having to be performed as the products are fed continuously along said route, substantially all the above wrapping operations require a number of devices designed to travel with the products and at least equal in number to the number of products subjected simultaneously to a given operation. If, for example, the unwrapped products are fed successively by a roller for closing the ends of the tubular wrapping, and are housed inside respective seats on the same, each seat usually presents a number of folding elements for engaging the ends of the tubular wrapping.
Known wrapping machines of the aforementioned type are therefore invariably complex in design, relatively high cost and relatively poor reliability.